History
Hello from Massi of Restaurant Miranda!
Today, I’d like to share with you the journey of our restaurant – a story that started many years ago, its evolution, and the significance behind the name the establishment carries today.
Our story began in the 1940s, right where Miranda’s stands today. Back then, Fiumicino was a different place, and what is now Miranda’s was merely a small kiosk selling ‘grattachecche’ – a term still used for granitas in Rome today.
The popularity of these slushies grew, prompting the original managers, who were members of my family, to add a few tables and chairs.
And so, from a humble ‘grattachecche’ stand, our establishment evolved into a tavern – a transformation evident in the photo below from the early 1960s.
A tavern… a genuine one!
Back then, the tavern was quite different from what it is today. It was much more rustic.
The innkeeper provided only tables, napkins, and cutlery, while the customers brought their own food, wrapped in a cloth; hence, they were referred to as ‘fagottari’.
In short, unlike today, you only paid for the cover charge!
In 1972, our establishment finally received its current name, Miranda’s, in honor of Grandma Miranda, the founder, and ultimately transformed into a seafood restaurant, incorporating my amazing grandmother’s recipes!
In the 1980s, a second branch of Miranda’s made its debut.
Do you know where?
All the way in Russia, in Moscow!
However, due to its remote location and all the management challenges, it was eventually shut down: it wasn’t exactly a stone’s throw away 🙂
From the 1980s… up to the present day!
In this photo, it’s me, Massi!
Here I am, at 8 years old, standing right at the entrance of the restaurant. It’s the late 1980s. Forgive the style! 😉
As it was then, next to the cart of dishes with which I used to dart around the room, tucked on the lowest shelf.
Ah, how many unforgettable runs between tables there were! And how many broken glasses my grandmother had to pick up when I ‘collided’ with a table!
At the end of the 1980s, in Piazza S. Giovanni di Dio, Monteverde, where my grandmother still lives today, in the local market – one of the few remaining in Rome – she opened a fresh pasta shop, which remains operational today and has always been our official supplier of fresh and filled pasta.
In 2010, ‘we’, the third generation, took the reins: the grandchildren of Grandma Miranda. We decided to focus on what we do best: exclusively seafood cuisine based on fresh fish, which you will find on display in the restaurant every day. We love to introduce new offerings, but the dishes that define us remain those from Grandma Miranda’s Recipe Diary!
Now that you know the whole story, come and see us.
We are here for you and are waiting for you in Fiumicino, to offer you a delicious and exquisite experience, based on fresh fish delicacies, all strictly made in Ristorante Miranda!
What they say about us
I have been a customer for several years and I will never tire of returning to my favourite restaurant to eat fresh fish. Massi and his staff know how to welcome you with kindness and professionalism. Keep up the good work!
Eating well, indeed excellent.
Passion, tradition, availability, freshness and quality of seafood cuisine are the winning formula that Massi and all his staff use to the full for his customers. Excellent value for money: try it to believe it!
We dined in this restaurant by candlelight, accompanied by the sea breeze and the caring assistance of the very kind staff, enjoying exquisite dishes that are the fruit of the owner Massi’s passion, inherited from his grandmother Miranda. Thank you! As always you are the top!